Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare (Isaiah 55:1-2)

I’m down three – count ’em three – pounds in 10 days. I did not exercise Sunday or Monday because I’ve been over the top busy. And last night we had BBQ ribs for supper. Depending on the time of day you’re reading this, that is either a cause of envy or cause of sympathy in you. At any rate, they were superb. Our family of six – now seven – was celebrating the arrival of our dear Chinese “daughter,” Kim who lived with us two years ago and has now returned for graduate studies in Minnesota. She’ll be living with us for a time. Her homecoming called for a feast… Seems I’ve found several excuses for very eating well the last few days…

Still, I’ve managed to drop three pounds, without intention or sweat or flogging myself with denials. My only change in behavior has been a daily celebration of communion. Last night Jill (my wife) and I shared it together just before we went to bed. Sweet.

I really do believe something is beginning to shift in my relationship with food. It’s not magic, but perhaps it’s a miracle. “My soul is delighting in the richest of fare…”

Absence: I will be off line from blogging about The Eucharist Diet until Friday this week. Every year in January Jill and I head away for three days for a retreat praying and planning our year. It’s been a great tradition for us. This year we’re going to The Wilderness in the woods of Western Wisconsin and we’ll be staying in one of their small handcrafted log cabins. I’ll be continuing this Eucharist discipline but I won’t be able to blog about the results until later this week.

Mark and Jill Herringshaw

Mark and Jill Herringshaw and their four children have been ministering in their local church since 1990. Jill is an accomplished worship leader and recording artist with several CDs in Target stores’ “Lifescapes” collection. Mark is the former pastor of the 7,000 member North Heights Lutheran Church. He holds a Ph.D. in leadership from Regent University, is the author of three books and a recognized conference speaker.